Gas turbine engines, such as those that power modern commercial and military aircraft, may include a fan section to propel the aircraft, a compressor section to pressurize a supply of air from the fan section, a combustor section to burn fuel in the presence of the pressurized air, and a turbine section to extract energy from the resultant combustion gases and to generate thrust.
Aircraft having gas turbine engines are used throughout the world from humid jungles in South America to sandy deserts in the Middle East. Because gas turbine engines draw air from the environment, the composition of the air may vary based on the environment. When a gas turbine engine is in use in an environment with debris-filled air, such as in a sandy desert, the debris may be drawn into the gas turbine engine. The majority of this debris exits the gas turbine engine along with the core airflow. However, when the gas turbine engine comes to a stop, some debris may remain internally with the air. After a period of time, this debris can settle at the bottom of the engine compartment.
When the gas turbine engine is initialized, cooling air from the compressor section may be channeled to the turbine section and drawn into cooling holes of the turbine vanes. When the cooling air is drawn into the cooling holes, the debris at the bottom of the engine compartment is stirred. This debris may be drawn into the cooling holes along with the cooling air. More debris may be received by cooling holes of turbine vanes oriented at the bottom of the gas turbine engine. Over time, the debris may accumulate in the cooling holes of these lower turbine vanes, causing these lower vanes to have a shorter lifespan than vanes towards the top of the gas turbine engine.